Texas regulators grapple with a growing problem: old oil wells leaking polluted water

Hawk Dunlap stands at the site of Lake Boehmer, a brine lake that has leaked out of an old well in Pecos County. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality received $10 million from lawmakers in 2023 to plug such wells but has yet to spend any of the money as it completes the rule making process. (Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune)

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In arid West Texas, water seeps and bubbles from old wells, sometimes carrying oil, brackish water or other pollutants to the surface. But the real danger lies underground — where oil, salt, and toxic minerals could migrate into the aquifers that supply water to cities, farms and ranches.